Zahavah Fishfeld, LMHC

02/19/2026

I'm talking to you if you went through a traumatic experience.

I applaud you.

The words trauma survivor can mean that there could be uncertainty at any point in your life.

Yes, those points can be fewer and shorter over time, but they always can be.

Learning skills can feel as hard as how helpful they can.

Trusting yourself to choose the right support system isn't easy either.

Always be kind to yourself and surround yourself with those that are kind to you as well.

02/15/2026

Think of equal.

Not with money and power.

Think of equal with communication, trust and respect.

When you work on these, you will feel more comfortable discussing what you may be struggling with in your relationship.

When you have the communication, trust and respect you won't worry about facing an unpleasant or even abusive reaction from the other person.

02/12/2026

On the path of life, there will be highs and lows.

When in a cycle of negative feelings, it can be so hard to remember that the positive will come afterwards. Sometimes neutral will happen first.

Challenge

1) When looking back at lows, does it feel as bad/ intense now as it did then?

2) Have you learned any skills to regulate, challenge thoughts or identify feelings to approach the future differently?

02/11/2026

02/04/2026

Leave the speculation as speculation.

When something is happening you know it is.

If it may happen, you probably have many other things that may happen as well.

It will be more effective to build your skills box so when something is happening, you will feel more confident you have the skills to help yourself.

Be kind to yourself and don't create situations that will unground you because of your anxiety.

02/03/2026

When you feel off, you feel off.

You may be feeling anxious. Anger, depression and trauma can also be the reason for feeling disregulated.

The knowing how to regulate can be more important than the why.

It's also a natural reaction to feel you are in the worst place when something comes up and you don't have a way out or to comfort yourself.

01/26/2026

When you have to do the work, you may feel so tired from it.

It may feel easier in the moment to give up, but only in the moment.

Because, the reasons for wanting to do the work won't just go away.

If you choose the I can way, it won't be easy and there will be ups and downs along the way.

If you choose the I can't way, you'll either be effected by what's going on or the effects of trying to dissociate from your feelings.

01/25/2026

Triggers may feel intense but you can get to a place where you can feel loved and supported through the pain.

There is a good chance the triggers will get less intense and less often over time. This does happen for most.

I won't sugarcoat it. It is rough to live with intense triggers. I won't downplay the idea of hope either.

01/21/2026

You can speak up when something doesn't feel right.

You don't have to let others take advantage of you.

You don't need to let others narrate your feelings and thoughts.

You can decide what actions you think are best for you.

You don't have to be part of lectures instead of conversations.

You don't need to feel stuck.

You can live you present life and make decisions about your future life.

01/19/2026

Maybe they are right? How do you know?

Do you find yourself doubting yourself as a human and having a right to exist because of someone else's strong opinions?

Know that if you are open to being wrong, to learning and on a path of growth, that should be enough for you to know it is most likely them and not you.

Another thing to ask yourself is if you are mainly getting "complaints" from one person, do they have difficult relationships with others? Do you hear them "complaining" about almost everyone they know?

You are allowed to have thoughts, opinions and feelings. They can respectfully disagree. They have a choice to discuss it while treating you like a human being.

Don't be so quick to make yourself into the "bad guy" just because someone else decided to do that.

Remember, those negative voices can sound much louder than the positive voices.

01/18/2026

Imagine if you suddenly grew another arm.

You'd be able to accomplish more at a quicker speed.

Now imagine bringing a part of you that already exists, although buried, back to life?

You may not even realize why things are getting better, but they will after you adjust to having all parts exist.

01/15/2026

You think your life is falling apart.

Everything feels so intense at the moment.

Take a step back and try to isolate this specific situation.

This is not any other situation, even if it brings up the same feelings of intensity and feels everything is working against you.

When you can start naming each situation as something that feels anywhere from uncomfortable to unbearable, you will have an easier time having the situational feelings come up. Previous situations are seperate from the current one.